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27 Killed in Connecticut School Shooting

December 14, 2012
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Screenshot via NBC News.

A gunman killed his mother, then drove to a Connecticut elementary school Friday and fatally shot 26 people, including 20 children, before killing himself.

Connecticut State Police troopers and Newtown Police officers responded to Sandy Hook Elementary School shortly after the initial 911 call at 9:30 a.m. The shooting is the second deadliest in U.S. history behind the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, in which 33 were killed.

The gunman, who has been identified as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, killed himself after shooting children and teachers in two classrooms, reports NBC News. Two wounded children died later at a local hospital. In addition, police discovered a second crime scene in Newton where they found his mother, Nancy Lanza.

Four guns, including a pair of 9mm handguns and a .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle used primarily in the attack, were recovered from the scene, reports the Associated Press.

Law enforcement personnel from various federal and local agencies responded to the scene, including several off-duty troopers. Officers searched the K-4 school, which has about 450 students, and secured the scene, Lt. Paul Vance told reporters.

During the active-shooter search, troopers were "checking every door, every crack, every crevice," Vance said.

Comments (23)

Displaying 1 - 23 of 23

Tom Ret @ 12/14/2012 7:34 PM

This coward knew that he would be able to kill a number of children and adults who would be unarmed and easy pickings for whatever motive he had. I for one do not want to hear on the news that he suffered from this or that prior to the shooting. Whatever his excuse would have been, he was intent on imposing evil on helpless victims and immune to their pain and suffering. Taking his own life will keep him from being prosecuted here on earth but unfortunately for him, he will be giving an account. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims' families and those officers and individuals involved.

Don Ret. @ 12/14/2012 7:42 PM

Well said Tom !!

Morning Eagle @ 12/14/2012 8:17 PM

The whole tragic and totally senseless episode is made to order for the anti-gun ownership crowd and they will waste no time trying to use the extreme emotions generated by it to push through the bans they have been talking about and proposing for years. Hmmm, maybe there ought to be a law saying no one can have firearms in or around schools and that would stop these kinds of things from happening. Oh, wait; hasn't there been such a law on the books for several years? School districts are "leery" of having armed security officers in their schools because they don't want to have armed officers carrying those evil guns around on campus. School administrators and teachers have become so prejudiced against inanimate guns they now seem incapable of recognizing the difference between the good guys and bad guys who have them. Could it just be possible that having a couple of armed officers already on duty at this site would have made a BIG difference in the outcome? When seconds count the police are minutes away. Not criticizing the first responders, that is just the way it is.

Bob@Az. @ 12/14/2012 8:42 PM

Tom, your dead on. My condolences to the families and friends as well as the Officers that were first on scene. Lets hope that there is a program in place for these people.

Tschako @ 12/15/2012 12:48 AM

Morning Eagle: You couldn't have said it better. Ditto!The worst thing is that NOTHING will ever prevent these things, even if every firearm is made "illegal".

Steve @ 12/15/2012 4:51 AM

If CCW's were issued to sane and responsible people, perhaps a teacher could have taken this nut out before he started his cowardly rampage. On caveat is that in order to carry, there must be strict training and ongoing qualification requirements in order to carry. I spoke with an airline pilot yesterday who has flown for 21 years and he told me that only 1 in 10 pilots carry guns in the cockpit. The feds have a rigorous standard in order to carry. Lets responsibly arm the protectors of the children and perhaps the bad guys would think twice before slaughtering the sheep. My heart is broken for the children, parents an families. I cannot imagine coming to the school and finding out that our fourth grade son was murdered. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted". I pray for the comfort of everyone who was touched by this tragedy.

Raptor @ 12/15/2012 8:31 AM

Leery of having armed officers in elementary schools? Seriously? That really is sad. A security guard with a radio and phone is useless against a real threat.

Capt.Crunch @ 12/15/2012 10:35 AM

I pray that this will never happen again. My sympathy goes out to the families of the victims and I hope that the coward that did this burns in hell.

Cost should not be a factor, the schools should have armed police or well trained armed guards patrolling their facility. This similar type of incident happened at a school in China where the suspect used a knife.

John Wright @ 12/15/2012 11:49 AM

I wonder how those liberals now feel because they didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable with an armed cop or security guy around? How many mothers who wished the teacher had a firearm stuck in her waist? The principal running toward the shots fired holding nothing but his pudding? Sad, very sad!

Big Morg @ 12/15/2012 12:51 PM

This is essentially an act of domestic terrorism. Perhaps it is time that the US protect its schools like in Israel where there are armed security guards at the schools, they have dealt with terrorism for years maybe we should look at how they protect their children. If we can use armed security guards at banks to protect our money, why not at schools?

Tom Ret @ 12/15/2012 6:49 PM

It is time to skip the politically correct nonsense that armed guards or police should not be in our schools because it looks threatening. If it is threatening, maybe it will deter a future gunman. The alternative is to have this repeated by copy cat killers, terrorists or nut jobs like this guy.As we found out in this case, the police arrived only in time to pick up the mess left by the killer who had already done his dirty work.

Wayne Hundemann @ 12/16/2012 5:47 AM

These poor little ones. God Bless the family...please pray for them all. This wouldn't have happened....I don't think, if the mother didn't buy these guns for her son. Does anyone really think she bought the AR-15 for herself?

Dilt @ 12/16/2012 4:37 PM

Absolutely we need armed personnel protecting our children. Think "air marshal" but for schools rather than aircraft. Not everyone needs to know who they are. Equipped similarly to secret service, they would be well able to neutralize scum like this.

Cant afford it? A 15% pay cut for all the politicians who have allowed this to continue can fund this!

Dilt @ 12/16/2012 6:58 PM

Absolutely we need armed personnel protecting our children. Think "air marshal" but for schools rather than aircraft. Not everyone needs to know who they are. Equipped similarly to secret service, they would be well able to neutralize scum like this.

Cant afford it? A 15% pay cut for all the politicians who have allowed this to continue can fund this!

John Russell @ 12/16/2012 10:01 PM

2 ways to prevent further situations like this in schools --One is bullet proof double entry LEXAN doors with much better CCTV for entry and No 2 is armed or trained and armed teacher or roving guards with direct connection to a trained armed teacher in schools to assist if a crisis occurs. Even if teacher is able to wound any perpetrator; better to accept this than one that has free liberty to just shoot & kill.

naynaybeme @ 12/17/2012 3:17 AM

Everyone wants to say this is the second deadliest school massacre in US history, but it's not. Not to take away from just how tragic this incident was, and my heart does ache for the families of those small children. Although not a shooting, in Bath Michigan, a distract trustee of the school district, planted bombs all over the elementary school on May 18, 1927, which killed 38 elementary school children, two teachers, and four other adults; at least 58 people were injured.

Hank DeMarco @ 12/17/2012 4:47 AM

I was there for 30 hrs it was sureal. I think they should have ared persolel in every school from the pricipal to teachers. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Oaklahoma bomb,911 box cutters and planes.....

jeff @ 12/17/2012 8:17 AM

Every one of these incidents from the 9/11 tradgedy to this school shooting in conneticut was preventable. if police officers that are already trained with weapons had been armed in those aircraft or at the school. Many thousands of people that were killed by the terrorist would still be alive and allah would have a few more customers with him. Lawmakers are at fault due to all their limp wristed policies for not utilizing all the police officers available all over the country. For me to have to put my weapon in checked baggage aboard an aircraft is a joke. enuff said

Bob @ VA @ 12/17/2012 9:57 AM

Tom, Eagle, et al,

Well said. The Israelis figured out that armed teachers, aides, and administrators can make a huge difference. After arming same days after the Ma'alat massacre in 1974, they haven't suffered another school attack since. The more people carry, the safer everyone is.

Hank - Well said. I can't imagine what you and the other first responders are experiencing. Thank you for your courageous service.

Ima Leprechaun @ 12/17/2012 12:19 PM

Lt Vance of the Connecticut State Police has been doing an excellent job as the media point person for the State Police. He is far more patient with the media than I could ever have been. I do agree its time for the media to leave because at this point we are just intruding on people in pain. Thank you to all the Police of Newtown and all the first responders that had to react to this painful disaster. Even one police officer lost a child that morning at the school. I cry for them all and I pray they all find peace somehow.

Ima Leprechaun @ 12/17/2012 12:37 PM

I also cry for Mrs Lanza the system failed her miserably. I too have a child similar to this young man but mine is a sweet kid, very caring and very responsible. Once he turned 18 though he was the one that was responsible for his medicine because that is the law. Once a child becomes an adult the parent is completely out of the loop by law and the kids know this. Once the child becomes an adult they are the only ones that can regulate their meds or seek medical help unless they are a threat to themselves and others and until Adam killed his mother he had never in his short life, done anything wrong to anyone. I am more than sure his mother was acutely aware of that fact when he killed her. But we failed her more than anything here, we are the problem. And we need to correct these deficiencies case by case when needed. I ask for help all the time an I get ignored all the time because not until someone "goes off" can anybody do anything to help. I am not anti gun you gun nuts can keep all your guns I just want to outlaw all ammunition except for police and military uses. We can't stop it all the ammunition but we can greatly reduce its availablity and make buying, owning or selling ammunition a life sentence except for police and military use. Just let out the marihuana prisoners which frees up about 50% of our prison populations and put the gun nuts away where they belong.

S.S @ 12/18/2012 12:39 PM

Times have changed, and they have been changing. Unfortunately it has come to the point to where armed police officers are needed at every school in the U.S. and it is to stop tragedies like this from happening. I don't care if parents think it's a bit intimidating for them. It needs to be done PERIOD.

S.S @ 12/18/2012 12:39 PM

Times have changed, and they have been changing. Unfortunately it has come to the point to where armed police officers are needed at every school in the U.S. and it is to stop tragedies like this from happening. I don't care if parents think it's a bit intimidating for them. It needs to be done PERIOD.

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